Instinct: Season 1, Episode 6
by bionic4ever
Summary: Season 1, Episode 6: Jaime is assigned to the care and feeding of eleven children during an important conference. Will her instinct be enough when disaster strikes? As always, thank you to The Bionic Project...and to Julie.
1. Prologue

**INSTINCT** - Season 1, Episode 6

Prologue

"Oscar, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Jaime fumed. "It's not like you to pull a really bad joke but....you _are_ kidding....right?"

"This is a very important conference, Jaime," Oscar told her. He wasn't laughing.

"You're really serious...? You want me to be....a bionic baby-sitter?" Jaime waved her arms in the air as she tried to argue what she knew was a moot point. "I can be a bodyguard, work security detail – anything! - but....baby-sitting? Really?"

"The Ambassadors need to be able to spend two days giving this matter their full attention, which means not having to worry about the safety and well-being of their children."

"But -"

"And with your background in education, I can't think of anyone more suited for the job."

"Oscar!" Jaime protested – to deaf ears.

"There will be eleven children, ages two to ten, and an infant. Callahan will be in charge of the baby – under your guidance, of course."

"Do they at least speak English?" Jaime asked, pouting.

"Most of them do."

"Terrific."

Oscar patted Jaime's shoulder as he walked her to the office door. "You start tomorrow at 7am."

- - - - -


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jaime looked around the OSI gymnasium that she was to transform into a daycare/baby-sitting clinic...and sighed. She had less than eighteen hours. Steve had recently returned from China and was off again to a mission in Paris – and where did _she_ get sent? The basement.

The basketball hoop at one end would keep the older ones entertained....at least for an hour or two. _Mental note to self..._ she thought, _get a basketball._ The rim was bent from someone's over-enthusiastic dunk, but a quick bionic leap and twist solved that. Sighing again, Jaime began to make a list. Coloring books, crayons, pillows, floor mats, dolls, trucks, miscellaneous toys. She'd have the maintenance men set up a couple of tables, some chairs and some shelves on the side opposite from the hoop. The OSI would be having meals and snacks delivered and the children – thankfully – would be rejoining their parents just after dinnertime.

_Hope you're enjoying Paris, Steve,_ she grumbled to herself as she headed for the elevator. She was nearly run over by a crib that emerged from the opening doors, with Callahan barely visible behind it, pushing hard. When Peggy saw her friend, she grinned.

"This'll be so much fun!" she bubbled.

"A blast," Jaime said flatly. "What'd _you_ do to get this sentence?"

"Well...I...volunteered," Peggy explained. "I love babies!" She noticed that Jaime wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. "You don't wanna do this? You love kids!"

"Yeah, I do – but since when is the OSI in the daycare business?" Jaime groused.

Callahan shrugged. "I guess since Mr. Goldman said so."

- - -

By 9:00 that night, everything was ready. Jaime had hung colorful murals on the walls and fashioned a reading nook, rest/nap area and several play areas. Callahan had set up a space for the baby in one corner, with a crib, playpen and rocking chair – and her bubbling-over excitement had been infectious. Jaime had to admit she'd had worse assignments. This might actually be fun, after all.

- - -

Jaime and Peggy met in the basement at 6:30 the next morning...and barely had time for a cup of coffee before the first (early) arrival. Callahan cooed as five-week-old Sadie was placed in her arms. Jaime didn't have quite the same reaction upon meeting Sadie's six-year-old brother Andre. As soon as his mother was gone, the boy gave Jaime an inquiring look...and kicked her in the shins. He seemed disappointed when Jaime didn't jump or yelp in pain.

"It's so nice to meet you, too," she told him, forcing a smile. She took Andre's hand and led him to one of the tables. "Here's some nice graham crackers and milk to tide you over 'til breakfast comes..."

"Don't want 'em!" the boy cried, folding his arms across his chest and – ignoring the chairs – seating himself on the floor.

Jaime shrugged. "Suit yourself." She turned back toward the entrance, where two more of her charges were waiting, holding tightly to their father's hands. Jaime groaned inwardly; identical twins...and they were NOT happy. Upon seeing Jaime approach, they both hid their faces and started to _wail_. Jaime grabbed two identical dolls from the toy area. "Look what I've got!" she said brightly, holding one out to each of the three-year-olds. "They're almost as cute as you are!"

The girls' attention diverted, if only for a moment, their father mouthed 'thank you' and disappeared. He'd forgotten to even tell Jaime their names...

- - -

Jaime managed to have all eleven children seated around the two little tables when breakfast was delivered. Two OSI Maintenance men had been pressed into waiter duty and each rolled a huge cart over to the tables, followed by Oscar, wearing his best please-don't-kill-me smile. When the food was served, Jaime understood why.

"Oscar...._pancakes?_ Seriously? Do you hate me that much?"

Oscar put one hand on Jaime's shoulder. "All kids love pancakes, Babe. I thought it might make your job a little easier..."

"With all that nice, gooey syrup? Oscar!" Her tirade was interrupted by a shriek from one of the twins (Jaime still didn't know her name) – Andre had taken his syrup packet and squirted it all over her. Jaime sighed....and Oscar quickly ducked back onto the elevator. After all, he had a conference to attend.

- - - - -


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Callahan was in trouble. While Jaime was cleaning syrup off of the still-nameless twin, the girl's shrieks and wails had startled Sadie, who would not be consoled. Peggy scooped up the baby and sang softly to her, walking back and forth in their little corner, but Sadie only cried harder and louder. This drew the attention of nameless-twin number two, who stood with her hands on her little hips, stuck out her tongue....and was smacked in the head by a flying banana.

"Who threw that?" Jaime demanded, her suspicious eyes resting on Andre.

"She's sticking her tongue out at my sister!" he complaining, flinging a sausage at the offending twin.

"And you're eating your breakfast over here," Jaime told him, picking up his plate and leading him firmly by the hand over to the resting mats.

While Jaime was cleaning up from the melee that had been breakfast, Peggy's young charge was being fed, diapered, rocked and sung to...and still continued to cry. Jaime sent the older children across the gym to shoot some hoops, settled the younger ones down with paper and crayons and turned to her friend.

"I think the noise and chaos might be too much for her," Jaime suggested. "She's over-stimulated." (Then again, Jaime thought, so am I.) "Maybe your office would be a better nursery. After all, Oscar's at his conference – it'll be nice and peaceful up there." Callahan nodded, still trying to soothe Sadie. "I'll send someone from Maintenance up with your supplies."

"Thanks." Callahan took Sadie onto the elevator, leaving Jaime all alone with eleven kids who were all slowly realizing that (while they all hated each other) they had her outnumbered....

- - -

By lunchtime, Jaime was almost ready to pack the lot of them up and deposit them in Oscar's conference room. Tina (age 8) decided she didn't like Andre's face – and bashed him with the basketball....by accident, of course. This sent Andre on another tangent of hair-pulling, toe-stomping and shin-kicking, causing Jaime to once again send him to the mats to quiet down. Twin Number One couldn't pass up the chance to taunt her former tormentor and Twin Number Two happily followed her sister's lead.

Jaime was grateful for the brief respite the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches provided – and no one hated anyone badly enough to throw chocolate chip cookies.

After lunch, inspiration struck. "Okay," Jaime said with mustered enthusiasm, "I want everyone at the Big Kids table to pick a little one and read them a story!"

"I don't want to," Andre pouted.

"Which is why you, Young Man, will be helping me clean up the lunch table," Jaime told him, smiling. Even the smallest victories were sweet ones...

- - -

It seemed like weeks went by before 7:00 finally came and the children departed with their parents. Jaime sank wearily into one of the little kiddie chairs and watched the night crew start their clean-up. Oscar paused just off of the elevator, smiling fondly at his exhausted agent. "How'd it go, Teacher?"

"The crayons are all broken, my shoes are soggy, I have graham crackers down my blouse and there's milk in my hair," Jaime told him. "I'd say it went just peachy."

"The children looked happy – no broken bones or bleeding lacerations – you did a fine job."

"Gee...thanks...By the way, whatever I did, I'm sorry already."

Oscar laughed and reached down to help her to her feet. "Better go home and rest up – tomorrow we do it all again."

Jaime groaned. "I just...can't wait." As they headed for the elevator, she had something else on her mind. "Oscar, there's something funny about the twins' father."

"Oh?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seemed...off. Just dropped 'em and left this morning, and didn't say a word to me tonight, either. I still don't know their names."

"He's probably stressed from the conference," Oscar guessed, "or simply from having twins."

"Maybe," Jaime agreed, "but my gut says something is wrong...."

"Well, I'll find out their names for you – and let me know if you have any more problems."

Jaime nodded. "Count on it."

- - - - -


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The voice on the other end of the phone as Jaime was getting ready for bed was cheerful and upbeat. "Bonjour!"

"Steve?" Jaime was suddenly not so tired anymore. "Are you in Paris?"

"I'd better be – or Oscar'll have my head on a stick."

Jaime laughed. "Can't be any worse than what he's doin' to me."

"Yeah – I heard about that. You get the milk out of your hair yet?" he teased.

"Oscar has a BIG mouth! And a cruel streak! Some of those kids are _monsters!_ Well, not really, but they're definitely testing my patience. And one of the fathers -!"

"He make a pass at you?" Steve asked too quickly.

"That, I could handle with a swift right to the jaw," Jaime told him. "No, he just gives me....a hinky feeling. I don't even know why, but something doesn't feel right about him...."

"Trust your instincts, Jaime – and keep your eyes open."

"Oh, I will....I miss you, Steve."

"I miss you too, Sweetheart," Steve said softly.

"I'll bet you've got a whole army of beautiful woman swarmed around you...."

"There's only one gorgeous blonde in my life," Steve assured her. "And she's waiting for me to get off the phone right now and buy her a drink."

Jaime chuckled with him. "You're terrible! And I love you."

"I love you too – and I'd better let you rest up for tomorrow. Just wanted to make sure you had happy dreams."

"I will now," Jaime promised, smiling as she hung up the phone.

- - -

Peggy and Jaime decided to be on the safe side – and met for coffee at 6am, so they'd actually have time to talk. "How'd it go with Sadie?" Jaime asked her friend, still trying to pry her own eyes open.

Callahan, as usual, was wide awake...and bubbling. "Oh, she was an angel! You were right; Mr. Goldman's office was perfect -"

"You had her in _Oscar's_ office? I thought you'd take her over by your desk -!"

"And risk having her startled by the elevator? Actually, Mr. Goldman suggested we go in there."

"Really? I guess I'm the only one on his mad-list, then," Jaime said with a fake pout.

"Oh, he's not _mad_ at you..." Callahan began, then quickly grew silent.

"Peggy....you know something – spit it out!"

"No, I don't....I can't!!" Peggy stammered. Jaime stared intently at her, eyebrows raised. "Okay...alright! Mr. Goldman said...."

"Come _on!_" Jaime insisted. "The kids are gonna be here soon!"

"He says your instincts might even be better than Steve's, but.....you're not so hot on following orders....I'm sorry."

"Is that all? And here I thought it was something serious!"

"Jaime," Peggy whispered, "you can't let him know I told you. I mean....he'd....he'd probably...."

Jaime grinned. "Make you spend two days in the basement with eleven screaming kids....?"

- - -

One by one (or in some cases, two by two), the children began to arrive. Sadie and Andre's mother placed the baby into Peggy's waiting arms, then turned to a surprisingly subdued Andre. "_Be good,_" she instructed. To Jaime, she added "Good luck," and then she was gone.

"I got spanked," Andre offered solemnly.

"Well, what'd you do?" Jaime asked, stooping down to look the boy in the eyes.

Andre snickered. "Said I wasn't gonna listen to no dumb ol' baby-sitter!"

"No," Jaime laughed, picking him up under the armpits and depositing him on the mats, "but you'll listen to _this_ very smart one!" She turned toward Peggy, who was beating a hasty retreat to the elevator. Out of Andre's earshot, she whispered "Hey – trade ya...?"

- - -

Within minutes, nine of her charges had arrived; Jaime was still waiting for the twins. (If Oscar didn't show up and tell her their names, Jaime swore to herself she'd start calling them Thing One and Thing Two!) Her ear picked up the sound of the elevator stopping several floors above them, then making its way down. To Jaime's surprise, when the door opened the three-year-old twins stepped out....alone.

- - - - -


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Oscar Goldman's office."

"Peggy, it's me." Jaime kept both eyes on the children but inside she was seething. What kind of parent would leave children that young all alone....even for a few seconds? "Where's Oscar?"

"He's already in the conference, I think. Why? What's wrong?" Peggy asked.

"I need to talk to Oscar," Jaime insisted. "Can you get him?"

Peggy jiggled the nearly-sleeping baby on her hip as she spoke. "He left explicit instructions that they were _not_ to be disturbed..."

"Then get Russ down here – please? It's urgent!"

"Okay....I'll find him. Hang on." Callahan left the line open and picked up the other phone to page Russ, then returned to find her friend had was no longer there.

Jaime would have stayed on the line, but Thing One and Thing Two were fighting with another little girl over a doll....and it looked like there would soon be blood shed. "Why don't you let Sherri have that doll," she suggested to the twins, "because look what's over here! These two dolls are twins – just like you!" She handed the girls the same dolls that had pacified them yesterday – and once again, they were entranced. Andre, remarkably, was playing trucks with two other boys and the rest of children were divided between the art and reading areas.

Russ came flying off of the elevator, looking ready to intercept a terrorist attack – or at the very least, an armed gunman. Instead, he saw tranquil, happy kids at play....and a very impatient Jaime. "Peggy said you had an emergency," he panted. "Looks like you have everything under control."

"No thanks to Oscar!" Jaime snapped. Russ merely stared, sensing a tirade was in the works. He was right. "I should have been given a list – before the first child got here _yesterday_ – so I could check them in. Russ, I don't even know a couple of their names! I'm responsible for these kids! I should be checking them in and signing them out! This is no way to run a secure daycare – much less a secure conference!"

"Are you finished?" Russ asked softly. Jaime nodded, still fuming. "The children were checked in with their parents the minute they walked into our lobby. But you're right – you should have been given a list. We're new to the childcare business here, you know. But...you aren't." He eyed Jaime with curiosity. "You should be a natural at this....and enjoying it a whole lot more. Weren't you an Education major?"

"Education – yes," Jaime told him. "Baby-sitting, no. I'm not teaching these kids anything – there's too wide of an age range for that. The best I can do is keep them from killing each other – or me!" Jaime paused...and frowned. "Wait a minute....you said the children were checked in at the lobby entrance, right?"

"Yesterday and today," Russ confirmed. "Why?"

"The twins got off the elevator by themselves this morning – their father wasn't with them – and I heard the elevator coming. It was at least three floors up and didn't stop in the lobby."

"That can't be right."

"Russ, I know what I heard! And that proves that something is wrong here. You need to get Oscar outta that room and tell him -"

"Negotiations are at a very delicate stage," Russ tried to explain. "Interrupting them could jeopardize everything they've already accomplished, and I can't just -"

"_Get Oscar!"_

"I'll do what I can," Russ promised, ducking back into the elevator. Jaime listened as it carried him up – past the conference floor and up toward Oscar's office, perhaps to confer with Peggy before doing something he considered rash. She waited a few moments longer, but heard nothing more from the shaft.

"Miss Jaime!" Tina called anxiously. "He painted my shoe – it's GREEN!"

Jaime shook her head and smiled knowingly. She started back toward the children, but didn't even have to look to know the source of the trouble. "Put the brush down, Andre," she called, "and get back on the mats." Andre threw the brush to the floor, splattering Thing Two, and stomped over to the furthest mat, directly under the little basement window.

All at once, the four-year-old at the snack table spilled her milk, Thing One began taunting her sister, two boys began playing push-me-pull-me with one of the trucks....and Andre started to scream.

"Miss Jaime!"

"No talking on the mats, Andre," Jaime reminded him as she sopped up the milk.

"_Miss Jaime!_" Andre persisted. "I smell something _bad_!"

Jaime walked over, ready to reprimand him more sharply....but then she smelled it too – _smoke_. A _lot_ of smoke. "I need everybody to join hands!" she called, instantly springing into action mode. She pulled the ones who didn't speak English into the line and pressed their hands into holding positions. "Right now – everybody make a chain – we're having a fire drill!"

- - - - -


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jaime led the children up the stairs, out of the building (via the north side exit) and safely across the street before she spotted the problem. There were thick clouds of smoke pouring out of a south side window on the third floor – directly below the conference room. It wasn't a big fire yet, but she sensed that it soon could be. Jaime grabbed two passing NSB agents. "Take the kids inside your building and don't let them leave!" she instructed, already breaking into a run – back toward OSI Headquarters.

"There's a fire in a third floor office!" she told the security guards as she pushed on through. Immediately, they took official control....but Jaime had to be sure. She ran to the reception desk and picked up the phone. "Peggy – get Sadie and get outta there! There's a fire; take the north stairs and _hurry_."

Jaime turned and stared unbelievingly at the guards. They were still standing calmly in their places. "What are you _doing_?" she demanded.

"Fire Department's on the way, Miss," a guard assured her, "and Maintenance is on the third floor, handling it until they get here."

"The hell with that!" Jaime snapped. "You need to evacuate the building!" Still, the guards didn't move. "Are you insane?" she cried, reaching past them for the fire alarm.

"It's an isolated fire, Miss," the guard said calmly, blocking her way. "There's no sense in upsetting a whole building full of people when things are under control."

"You don't know that, you cretin!"

"We're just following the stated procedures and -"

"And you're wasting time!" Jaime yelled at him. "Get out of my way or I will physically move you myself!" Finally, the guard stepped aside and Jaime pulled the fire alarm – at the very moment an explosion rocked the building.

Then....everything was silent and dark. Firemen from all over the city began streaming in as people started poured down the north stairs. Jaime noticed with sinking dread that no one was coming down the south stairs....the ones leading from the conference area. She began running toward that side of the building but a fireman stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.

"You can't go up there – you need to leave the building, Ma'am."

"My boss is up there!" Jaime told him, carefully muscling her way through the sea of red and yellow jackets and taking the south stairs nearly a flight at a time....until the third floor, where she could go no further. The fourth floor appeared to have collapsed into the third, with nothing visible but rubble. There was no light....and no sound except the fire alarm. Then the cries for help began and Jaime felt sick with despair. She could hear firemen breaking through the rubble from the other side and knew that the souls trapped inside were getting help.

_Oscar isn't here,_ suddenly flashed through her mind, lit like a brilliant neon sign. _Find him – he needs you._ Jaime forced her way back down into the lobby, in time to see Callahan being led out – unhurt – with the baby in her arms and Russ by her side.

"Where's Oscar?" she called to them. "Was he up in his office?" (_Please tell me he wasn't in the conference room..._)

"He came up when I paged him," Russ told her, sending Peggy and Sadie outside. "He gave me the list you wanted, then headed back down."

"Which way?" Jaime asked.

"The south stairs..."

"No!" Jaime ran quickly to the elevator, intending to ride all the way up and then work her way down on the south end, but the elevator – like the lights – was off. She bounded up the now-deserted north stairs even more quickly than she'd taken the south, reaching the eighth floor and running past Oscar's office and the elevator to the stairwell at the other end. It was filled with smoke, but the stairs appeared intact...and Jaime headed down.

She only made it as far as the fifth floor when the cement began to crumble beneath her feet and she jumped back to the relative safety of the landing. _Okay...._ she said to herself, frantically trying to gather her thoughts, _I've supposedly got such great instinct.....so where the hell is Oscar....?_

- - - - -


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The fire was put out quickly, with the firemen estimating that it had followed a trail of accelerant straight to an explosive device set just beneath the conference room. All of the meeting's attendees had been removed from the rubble, some injured quite seriously but all of them alive. Oscar was not among them. The damage to the building as a whole was actually minimal. The south end of the fourth floor had collapsed and the stairs above and below were unstable but most of the building was intact....although still in the dark, as the explosion had knocked out the power.

Jaime, on the fifth floor landing, knew none of this. The floor beneath her felt ready to give way at any moment, but she barely noticed. She wondered if Oscar might have been intending to stop by the basement – if Russ had told him about her outburst. Probably not, she reasoned. If he were going all the way down, he'd have taken the elevator – and Russ said he took the stairs. Still, he wasn't there now. _Had_ he rejoined the meeting? Was he buried so deeply in rubble that the fireman (and Jaime's own instinct) couldn't find him?

She tried to put herself in Oscar's shoes, to think as he might have thought, just before the fire broke out. He'd given the requested list to Russ. (_Why_ had she insisted so vehemently on getting that damned list?) Then he'd headed back down the stairs – the most direct route to where she prayed he hadn't gone. But...maybe he'd only made a brief stop there, to let the guards outside the meeting room know he'd be right back....maybe he had intended to go on into the basement. That _had_ to be it!

He didn't take either stairway because she'd gone up via the north and knew he wasn't in the south, so that left...the _elevator_! Jaime had been listening when Russ went up to the office and never heard it come back down, but she knew she'd been distracted by Tina crying about her green shoes and Things One and Two causing their usual mayhem – so maybe she just hadn't heard it. Jaime's heart was pounding mightily but her mind (and her gut) were suddenly calm. _Oscar was in the elevator!_

But....didn't elevators sometimes plunge in a fire or explosion...? The remaining firemen and inspectors didn't even attempt to stop her as she blazed her way back across the lobby and down to the basement. Jaime pried upon the elevator doors, dreading what she knew she might find – but the car was not there. Cautiously, she stepped into the shaft and there it was – stalled somewhere between the second floor and the lobby.

"Oscar....?" she called. There was no answer. "_Oscar!"_

The elevator wobbled slightly...then came the voice she'd been praying to hear. "Jaime....? I'm in here..." The car wobbled again, not-so-slightly this time.

"Don't move!" Jaime called up to him. "I'm gonna get you out." She stepped out of the shaft, grabbed onto the cable with her right hand and pulled (stepping back slowly), a tiny bit at a time to keep it stable, until the car was between the lobby floor and the basement. "Almost there – hang on," she told Oscar. "And stay still!"

Jaime took the length of loosened cable and wrapped it around a hook on the gymnasium wall, steadying the car, then reached up and pried open the doors. From top to bottom, the gap was only about two feet high – but that was enough. "Are you alright?" she asked, peering into the car itself.

Oscar was lying on the floor, one leg folded beneath him. "I think my leg is broken....but I'm okay," he replied slowly. "It plunged right after the building shook. Jaime, what happened?"

"We'll talk about that later," she told him. "Let's get you outta there."

- - - - -


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Oscar thanked Jaime as he was loaded onto a gurney and, seeing her stricken look, he assured her that he was fine and gallantly kissed the hand that had saved him. Jaime saw him safely onto an ambulance, then hurried across the street to check on the children. Peggy and Russ had begun aiding the penguin suits Jaime had left the kids with....and they needed all the help they could get. Most of them had seen enough to become thoroughly terrorized – the younger ones were tearful...and the older ones painfully silent. Jaime could see that they _all_ needed calm reassurance that (in spite of appearances) the world had not collapsed around them.

She clapped her hands to gain their attention and held out her arms, pulling them all into a small circle. The twins, sobbing the loudest, buried their faces in Jaime's skirt and she reached down to embrace them tightly. "It'll all be okay," she said in a soft, soothing voice. She thanked Providence that none of the kids had lost a parent, but with the conference attendees on their ways to various hospitals, what would happen to the children? Jaime motioned Russ over. "Do you still have that list?"

"Right here," he told her, patting his pocket. "You need it?"

"Actually, I need _you_. Start calling the outside contact numbers for everyone listed. Their families are probably seeing the news reports by now – and are worried sick. They need to know the kids are okay – and where to pick them up."

"And where will that be?" Russ wondered.

Jaime scrambled for an answer. Even though the OSI building was mostly sound and intact, she didn't dare take them back there until it had been officially given an all-clear. The NSB was certainly no place for children (although Jaime'd had fleeting thoughts of the Hole while dealing with Andre). CIA? Too cramped.

"We'll be in the FBI cafeteria," she told Russ. "Have them pick the kids up over there." That way, she reasoned, they could have lunch and she could rustle up some paper, pens and maybe a few magazines to entertain them until someone came for them.

"You got it," Russ promised. He pulled the list Oscar'd given him from his jacket pocket...and frowned. "We've got a problem," he whispered, not wanting to further alarm the youngsters.

Jaime stepped away from the group for a moment. "Now what?"

"The only contact listed for Kathy and Katie is their father....and he was at the meeting."

"Who?"

"Katie and Kathy – the twins."

- - -

Jaime and Peggy herded the children together and (making an adventure of it) paraded them down the block to the FBI Headquarters. Jaime was pleased to find that when Russ had alerted them that they'd be receiving guests, someone at the FBI had rallied the troops. One corner of the cafeteria had a tray of bologna sandwiches, sliced fruit, cheese and cookies – surrounded by stacks of paper, crayons, colored pencils and even a few books. While her charges dug eagerly into their lunch, Jaime sat down next to Peggy and the baby.

"Is he....alright?" Peggy asked quietly. "Mr. Goldman, I mean."

Jaime smiled. "He will be; don't worry."

"How did you find him, anyway?"

"I just followed my instinct, I guess..."

They were soon joined by the nanny for Sadie and Andre. After checking the woman's identification against her copy of the list, Jaime released the two children to her....although Andre steadfastly refused to leave until he'd finished his 'fair share' of the food. On his way out – surprisingly – Andre turned and ran back to give Jaime a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

- - -

One by one, the kids were taken home – with every one of them bidding a fond goodbye to the woman who, for the last two days, had played with them, yelled at them, fed them....and kept them safe. Jaime hugged each of them in turn....until only Kathy and Katie were left. They looked so much younger and smaller, all alone at the table, coloring quietly.

Jaime left Callahan behind to watch them and went down the hall to find a phone. Russ answered his page quickly. "Any leads on the twins....or their family?" Jaime asked.

"Nothing," Russ told her. "Their father is in a coma. Jaime, the firemen found him in the wrecked stairwell, under the debris. It looks like he may have set the bomb."

Jaime had already figured that part out. Suddenly, she also knew without a doubt what she was going to do next. "Russ, with Oscar in the hospital, you're in charge, right?"

"I guess I am..."

"Then I need your official OK. I'm taking Kathy and Katie home with me."

- - - - -


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"I don't know, Jaime...." Russ hedged. "It's nice that you want to help them, but...taking them back to Ojai? I don't think -"

"Not to Ojai," Jaime told him, "just to my apartment here. I've got a fold-out couch they can sleep on, and -"

"This is a little more than taking in a stray puppy," Russ argued (sounding more like Oscar every second).

"I _know_ that! But these girls have nowhere to go...and they know me! At least, better than they know some stranger they'll end up with otherwise."

"That's true..."

"And Russ," Jaime said sweetly, "I'm sure with your investigative skills, you'll find out where they really belong in no time! They must have a mother out there somewhere. C'mon – at this point, these kids deserve a break!"

"Alright, okay...but only for tonight. And, Jaime...." Russ sighed; Jaime had already hung up.

- - -

While Peggy took the twins to a nearby McDonald's, Jaime began preparing for her new guests. She made a fast trip back to the OSI's basement, grabbing the identical dolls that had served as peacemakers twice in two days. Hopefully, they still held a little bit of their charm....

Jaime decided to put the girls in her room so she'd have the rest of the apartment to tool around in after they went to sleep. She moved her personal items to the high shelf in the closet and filled the room with as many diversions as it could hold.

The doorbell rang much earlier than expected, and Peggy waited on the other side....with a soggy twin holding each of her hands. "What happened?" Jaime asked (trying really hard not to laugh).

Peggy looked sheepish. "They were blowing bubbles in their sodas.....I told them to stop...but..."

The twins giggled in unison. "Mine 'sploded!" Katie offered. It was the first time Jaime had heard either of them speak.

"I'll bet it did!" Jaime exclaimed, grinning broadly as she took a twin in each arm. "Now let's get you cleaned up. I've got some new jammies for you – after your bath!" To Callahan, Jaime mouthed 'thank you' – and her friend happily took her leave.

The twins looked at each other with wide eyes and Jaime could almost read their thoughts. They'd made a mess, created a ruckus....and it was okay. She could see their little bodies relax as they realized they were safe. They willingly followed Jaime into the bathroom and sat – still and obedient – in the tub for a thorough scrub and shampoo. (Kathy had _ketchup_ in her hair!) Jaime wrapped them each in a big, fluffy towel and had them close their eyes, then presented them with identical pink 'big-girl' nightgowns and matching furry slippers. The girls joyfully admired themselves in the mirror then turned and – in unison again – gave Jaime a hug.

This time, Kathy too broke her silence. "Thank...you..."

"You're very welcome, Sweetie," Jaime said with happy tears in her eyes. "Those are yours – you can take them with you when you go home." _If we can figure out where 'home' is..._ she added to herself.

After a stop in the kitchen for cookies and warm cocoa, the girls' eyes began to grow droopy and Jaime nestled both of them cozily into her bed, handing them the dolls and reading a couple of stories before Katie and Kathy reluctantly drifted off to sleep.

They looked so sweet....and so helpless. Jaime wondered what kind of father could set a bomb in the very building where his innocent three-year-olds were playing just a few floors below. Putting them on an elevator – alone – and pushing the button for the basement was one thing, but _this_ was inexcusable. It was beyond Jaime's comprehension that any father could....

Jaime froze in her tracks – and then bolted for the phone. "Russ?" she began excitedly. "He might be a stepfather or a guardian....but -"

"Whoa, Jaime – who might be...what?"

"The man who brought the twins to OSI – the one who set the bomb – _he isn't their father!_"

- - - - -


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Have the twins told you anything yet?" Russ asked when Jaime phoned him over her first cup of coffee the next morning.

"Russ, they're barely talking! At first I thought it was 'cause they were just hellions, but they've been _traumatized!_ And not just from the explosion – they were like this the first time I met them. Something happened to these kids..."

"And you're the perfect person to find out what that was," an unexpected voice added.

"Oscar? You're supposed to be -"

"In the hospital?" Oscar concluded for her. "I told them to patch me up and send me out. It's only a broken leg.....but it could have been so much worse. Babe, if it wasn't for you, needing that list, I never would've left that conference room. And then, for you to find me before the inspectors probably even knew I was still missing...'thank you' doesn't begin to cover it, but -"

"I'm just glad you're okay," Jaime told him. "Russ....he _is_ okay, right? I mean, the doctors said it was alright for him to leave?"

"Could they have stopped him?" Russ chuckled.

"Babe, Steve is on his way back from Paris, to help investigate the bombing," Oscar informed her. "He'll need to talk to you about what you heard and saw; I've arranged for Callahan to take the girls to the park for an hour or two. They should both be there just after noon."

"Great," Jaime agreed. "That'll give me some time to work with Kathy and Katie. I'll see what I can do." To herself, Jaime had to wonder _Will they even be talking at all when they wake up?_

- - -

Jaime was flitting around her kitchen, making blueberry waffles, when she heard the first stirrings from the bedroom. Then, moments later, a tiny, frightened cry:

"_Mommy!"_

Jaime rushed to the bedroom and gathered the two sobbing twins into her arms. She didn't know which of them had called out, but both clung to her desperately. Jaime rubbed their backs, swaying slightly in a futile attempt to soothe them "Where is your Mommy, Sweetie?" she asked gently, hoping at least one of them would answer. "Can you tell me her name so I can find her for you?"

One twin hiccuped and the other sniffled...but neither said a word. They ate breakfast in silence, with Jaime keeping up a steady and (she hoped) amusing patter, trying to keep them engaged. She could see both of them repeatedly grow distant, as though remembering some awful past terror, and then they'd look up and glance at each other with wide, frightened eyes.

After breakfast, they meekly allowed Jaime to help get them dressed and then sat at the kitchen table and colored. There were no more cries, no more words....just....quiet.

- - -

"What's the word on the girls' so-called father?" Jaime asked when she was finally alone with Steve. As wonderful as it felt to see him again, she was immediately all business – they both had a job to do.

"He's still in a coma. Sweetheart, I need you to tell me everything you remember about right before the explosion – before the fire broke out. Did you hear anything unusual?"

Jaime told Steve about hearing the elevator, about the smell of smoke by the window and how she'd seen clouds of it billowing out of the third floor once the kids were safe. Finally, she told him about finding and rescuing Oscar.

"I'm so proud of you," Steve told her. "Wouldn't be surprised if they gave you a medal."

"I don't care about that," Jaime said firmly. "I just wanna catch whoever did this...and get these girls back home where they belong – with their mother."

"We don't have a clue who or where she is yet...or even if she's alive," Steve answered.

"One of the twins cried out for her this morning. Trust me – she's alive."

"Instinct again?" Steve mused. "Well, you've been batting a thousand so far...." He could see in her eyes how much Jaime had already come to care about these girls. "If she's out there, we'll find her. We've contacted Interpol with a query about recent double kidnappings....and possible murders."

"She's _not_ dead, Steve! Maybe she's as terrified as her daughters.....but she's out there and they need her!" Overwhelmed by the sheer emotions of the last 24 hours, Jaime finally allowed herself the comfort of Steve's arms. "They need their mother....!"

- - - - -


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Jaime thought back to her Psychology of Child Development classes in college, searching for any way she might help Kathy and Katie...and she had an inspiration. When Peggy brought the girls back, Jaime sent her on a shopping mission, with a detailed list of what she needed.

"Did you have fun?" Jaime asked, embracing her charges. The twins hugged her back, but looked up at her mutely. "What do you wanna do until Peggy gets back? I know – let's bake some cookies!" So they did, with one child pouring in the flour, the other dumping in sugar and both helping to stir the batter.

Jaime floured the counter and rolled out the cookie dough, handing each girl a cookie cutter and, her hand over theirs, showing them how to make shapes with the dough. Their eyes lit up and they literally danced with excitement as they watched through the oven window while the dough they'd cut turned into _cookies_. But the dance was a silent one...

As she watched them, Jaime wondered if she'd ever have the chance to have children of her own. She and Steve were close (but not _that_ close – not yet)....they hadn't discussed marriage since getting back together, but Jaime knew it was on Steve's mind....and lately, it was definitely on hers, too. They would very likely plan a future together someday (she couldn't picture one without him) but....children? Rudy had said that with her body's bionic systems conception was unlikely – but it _was_ possible. Jaime clung to that, realizing as she looked fondly at the twins how very much she longed to hold a baby in her arms.

The girls didn't need any encouragement to douse the cooling cookies with swirls of colored sugar. Jaime even thought she heard a few carefully suppressed giggles when her back was turned.

Peggy was back just in time to enjoy the fruits of their cookie-baking efforts. Jaime poured the cocoa, had a quick cookie and then began unpacking the shopping bags and setting up her supplies on the coffee table while the girls and Peggy had their snack. Callahan had purchased exactly what Jaime had wanted: a doll house, complete with two identical little girl dolls and several man and woman dolls. When they were done eating, Katie and Kathy took to it immediately, mesmerized by the detailed miniature world. They waved goodbye to Peggy and began to play.

Jaime scarcely dared to breathe. At first, they picked up the tiny twin dolls and moved them from room to room, making them dance and play. Then they placed a Mommy and a Daddy doll into the little house and sat back on their heels, staring.

"Just like at your house, huh?" Jaime said as lightly as possible. The girls nodded. They looked at each other and tears began forming in their eyes – then Katie picked up another man-doll and bashed the Daddy doll with it, knocking him down. Kathy removed the Daddy doll from the little house...and pushed him under the sofa, and then both girls burst into full-fledged tears, gazing at the floor to avoid looking at Jaime.

Without words, they had just spoken volumes. Jaime put one arm around each of them and hugged them close before picking up the second male doll. "Who is this?" she asked, very gently. The twins looked at each other, obviously afraid to even utter his name. "It's alright," Jaime assured them. "You're safe here. I won't let him hurt you. Now, do you know his name?"

Slowly, very reluctantly, Kathy nodded. Holding tightly to her sister's hand, she sniffled. "That's Charles."

Jaime nodded, still holding them. Charles Rycroft was the conference participant from Scotland who now lay in a coma.....the twins' so-called _father_.

- - -

Exhausted from their trip to the park, cookie-baking and the breakthrough they'd made, the girls didn't protest when Jaime suggested a nap. They were both asleep within minutes. Jaime used the opportunity to call Steve.

"Tell me what you've found out about Charles Rycroft," she requested.

"Jaime, they're not his daughters."

"I _know_ that! What else do you have?"

"Their mother is a widower, married Charles about a year ago...and he filed a petition to adopt the girls but never followed through with it. We're trying to locate the mother now, but the strange thing is, she never reported the twins missing. She must've given him permission to take them."

"I doubt it," Jaime told him. "Steve....I think he killed their father."

- - - - -


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jaime and the twins shared a quiet supper. The girls had seemed to delight in helping her to mix the meatloaf, although neither one was able or willing to tell her so. After their bath both girls settled easily into bed, drifting off to sleep before Jaime had finished the first story. She had just gotten herself comfortable on the sofa with a good book when she heard her favorite set of footsteps coming down the hall, but Jaime wasn't quite so overjoyed when she heard what Steve whispered to Oscar.

"She's not gonna like this...."

Jaime waited until they knocked, then took a deep breath before opening the door. Oscar and Steve's faces were solemn, almost grim. "Babe, we need to talk," Oscar began. "Let's sit down." He leaned his crutches against the wall (having brought them only because Rudy had forced him to) and took the seat closest to the door.

Steve sat next to her on the sofa and took her hand. Jaime did _not_ interpret this as a good sign. "What's going on?" she asked slowly.

"We've located the girls' mother, Jaime," Oscar told her. "We don't know what her story is yet; she'll be flying out overnight, and we'll question her tomorrow."

"O...k...." Jaime was confused. "That's wonderful...isn't it?"

Oscar braced himself. "The girls are not American citizens and this is an Interpol matter....we're here to take them into Federal Custody."

"And do what with them?" Jaime asked, certain she was _not_ going to like the answer.

"They'll spend the night in protective custody, and -"

"Like hell, they will!" Jaime snapped. "You're telling me you wanna take them from here and turn them over to a stranger? Oscar, you can't do that! Tell him, Steve!"

"It's the law, Sweetheart," Steve answered, as gently as possible. "I'm sorry."

"Well, you're not taking them – that's all there is to it! Besides, I'm a Federal agent....so they're IN Federal Custody!"

"Jaime -" both men said at once.

"No. Period. Just....no."

Steve saw the firm, stubborn set of Jaime's jaw and knew they were in big trouble. "I understand how you feel," he said, knowing he was beating his head against solid brick, "but we have to handle this -"

"I'll tell you how we'll _handle this!_ I will hand these girls over to their mother – if she's willing and able to take them – but I will _NOT_ let you turn them over to strangers! Not even for one night! Oscar, they know me....they're even starting to trust me, I think...._please_..."

Steve looked at Oscar and shrugged, one eyebrow raised as if to say _your turn – good luck._

Before he could say a word, Jaime stood up. "If you wanna take the girls, you'll have to arrest me first...because I won't allow it." She looked Oscar straight in his eyes, firm and resolute – her mind was made up and Jaime was unafraid.

- - -

The next morning, Jaime wasn't feeling entirely sociable when Steve knocked on the door. "Another official visit?" she asked stiffly.

Steve grinned, holding up a big white box. "I brought donuts...for you and the girls. Hopefully, you'll let me join you...?"

"Of course," Jaime told him, finally smiling. As they set the donuts out on a plate, Jaime still had something on her mind. "Is Oscar mad?"

"At you? The person who saved his life?"

"Yeah...is he?"

"He'll get over it. Girls still asleep?"

Jaime nodded. "Is...their mother here yet?"

"Russ just picked her up at the airport. They decided I wasn't impartial enough to assist in questioning her, so here I am."

"Are you...mad at me?" Jaime asked.

"For standing up for what you knew was right?" Steve kissed her. "I'm _proud_ of you." He'd realized the previous night, watching Jaime stick up for the twins, what a terrific (and fiercely loving) mother she was going to make. With her feelings still so tender over the fate of the girls, he knew this wasn't the right time to bring that up, but....soon. She'd been a part of his life for almost longer than he could remember, and any and all pictures Steve had in his mind about his future had Jaime in them, front and center. He _needed_ to tell her that....as soon as possible.

- - - - -


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Sylvia Rycroft looked as though she was trying to disappear. She looked very small – and very nervous. Not nervous in the manner of one who has done something wrong, but nervous like someone who's been battered unmercifully by life and is waiting for the next blow. She had been born in Germany to American parents who worked at a University there, and was raised in the States from the age of six. After high school, she'd returned to her birthplace for a few months of nostalgia – and met the twins' father, Jacob. She was only 19 when she married him.

The two girls had been their only children, and when their daughters were barely two years old, Sylvia met Charles Rycroft. He immediately stole her attention with tales of his powerful position in Scotland and of the adventures they could have there. Sylvia broke down in tears as she related the story of how she told Jacob she was leaving him. He had pleaded with her for one more chance...but it was too late. Sylvia was enthralled by the newcomer and began planning her life in Scotland.

On the day of the move, she had hired some men to load all of her belongings in a truck and drove off to be with her new prince, leaving the twins behind for one final weekend with their father. When she returned to the old house to pick them up, she'd found the girls not with Jacob....but with Charles. He'd offered no explanation other than to say that Jacob had fled, leaving his daughters and his ruined life behind.

"I never heard from him again," Sylvia concluded, completely breaking down.

While Oscar certainly felt sympathy for the woman, this was exactly the state he needed her to be in, to most easily get to the truth. "He never tried to see his daughters?"

"Never. Not even a phone call....I hurt him so badly...."

Oscar glanced over at Russ. "Ma'am, when you say you hurt him, exactly what do you mean?"

"By leaving him....not giving our family a chance..." she sobbed. "He couldn't stand to have anything more to do with me!" She looked around the room at the grim faces surrounding her. In addition to her two Interpol escorts, she now faced Oscar, Russ, Jack Hansen and Agent Giles of the FBI. "What has happened to Charles? Has he done something to my girls? Where are Katherine and Katerina?"

"Mrs. Rycroft," Russ began, "when was the last time you saw Charles and your daughters?"

"A week ago, he told me he had a meeting here in your capitol. We thought it would be ideal for the girls to learn some things about America -"

"Whose idea was it for him to bring the girls?" Russ asked.

"Charles suggested it. Are....are they alright?"

"Do you have reason to believe they might not be alright?" Russ shot back.

"I don't know, except that they have been very sad since Jacob left them. They used to chatter all the time, to us, to each other, but since that day....very little."

"Ma'am," Russ asked, as gently as possible, "has Charles ever physically harmed you or your daughters?"

"He would never -!" Sylvia sank down lower in her chair, hiding her face as she cried. "He hurt me, yes – but never the girls. Please tell me what has happened!"

Russ took a step back, not wanting her to feel any more threatened than she already did. "Your husband was badly injured in an explosion. A bomb."

"A _bomb?_"

"I'm very sorry, Ma'am, but we believe he was the one who set it to go off. Your children were in the building at the time..."

"They are....dead?"

"They're safe – and unhurt," Russ assured her. "They're staying with the woman who rescued them."

"May I see them? Please – I must see them! And I must thank this woman!" Sylvia now cried tears of shock...and relief.

Russ glanced at Oscar, who nodded. They could save the rest for later. This was a woman who needed her children as badly as they needed her. "I'll call Jaime."

- - - - -


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Jaime was nervous. This was uncharted territory for her and the last thing she wanted was for the twins to be hurt again. "Girls, I need to talk to you," Jaime requested, pulling her two very solemn and curious charges onto her lap. She sent Steve into the kitchen, where he would still hear everything but the girls would feel less crowded and more comfortable. "Would you like to see your Mommy this morning?"

"....Mommy...?" Katie whispered (as though scarcely daring to believe it).

Jaime smiled. "She flew all the way out here, just to see you."

Kathy and Katie jumped off of Jaime's lap and began what Jaime had come to know as their happy dance. Then....they froze. "Charles, too....?" Kathy asked. Jaime could plainly see the fear on both of their faces.

"Just your Mommy," she assured them. "Is that okay?" The dancing resumed, continuing with all the joy in two little girls' hearts until, minutes later....the knock on the door. Again, the girls froze, unsure of what was about to happen. Jaime put an arm around each of them and kissed the tops of their heads as Steve answered the door.

Jack Hansen and Russ appeared first in the doorway, followed by Sylvia – sobbing and with her arms outstretched. "My babies!" she cried, upon seeing her girls.

"_Mommy!"_ The moment was electric. Happy tears pearled in Jaime's eyes as she watched the twins run into the arms they'd been longing for. Steve stepped up beside her and Jaime leaned into him with a sigh of relief. Together with Russ and Jack, they moved into the kitchen to give the little family a bit of privacy, with Jaime keeping one ear alert for signs of any trouble.

"What happens now?" she asked Russ.

"Sylvia is still in Interpol's custody – they're right outside the door – in cooperation with our agencies, until we can clear her of any wrongdoing and ascertain the nature of her current relationship with her her husband."

"The girls will need to stay with you a little bit longer," Jack added. "That is, if you have no objection."

"I've got no problem with that," Jaime told him.

"We'd like you to try and find out what happened between the twins and their stepfather – what brought them to this point," Russ continued.

"I'll try, but I'm no psychologist."

"The girls trust you, and you've gotten them this far," Steve pointed out.

"What about Rycroft?" Jaime wondered.

"He's starting to show the first signs that he may be coming out of it," Russ answered. "Steve and I will be waiting at his bedside when he does."

"Oscar and I will work with Mrs. Rycroft," Hansen added. "We intend to have all of the facts in hand before we release those girls into her custody.

Jaime nodded. "Good."

Once the visit was over and the twins and their mother had bid each other a tear-filled goodbye, Jaime decided to let them relax for awhile and just take everything in before trying to probe them – however gently – for more information. They needed some downtime....and so did she.

- - -

After lunch and a nap for the girls (and some well-deserved rest for Jaime), she was ready to begin again. Already, a theory had been forming in her mind – one that was too awful to contemplate, much less give voice to until she was absolutely sure. She brought Katie and Kathy to the doll house and carefully removed the Daddy doll from underneath the sofa, then picked up the doll they'd chosen to represent Charles and held it in her other hand. Both girls began to back away.

"You know you're both safe here, right?" The twins nodded. "I'd like to help you, if you'll let me. It's okay to tell me what happened – no one is gonna hurt you. I promise." Slowly, the girls returned to the sofa.

"Charles came to see your Daddy, didn't he? After Mommy was gone?" Jaime asked softly. Silently, the twins nodded their heads. "There was a fight, wasn't there?" She stood the two dolls in the living room of the doll house, then handed each girl one of the twin dolls. "And where were you? Can you show me?" Jaime held her breath as both twin dolls were placed in the living room, behind the little toy sofa, peering out.

"Sweeties," Jaime said gently, "Did Charles hurt your Daddy?"

"Y-y-yes..." Katie whispered, shivering.

"Where was Daddy afterward? Can you show me?"

Kathy looked sadly at her sister then reached for the Daddy doll and laid him down on the floor of the miniature living room. She looked up at Jaime with wide, terror-filled eyes, and Jaime drew both girls onto her lap, holding them close. Her theory, sadly, had been correct:

Charles Rycroft had killed their father....and the girls had witnessed every terrible moment.

- - - - -


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Fueled by a phone call from Jaime, Steve was even more ready as he waited with Russ in Rycroft's hospital room. Together, the two men had concocted a scheme that (if it worked) could eliminate the need for any sort of a trial. After all, the twins were so young that any testimony they might give – even if it was on tape – would be iffy, at best. Steve and Russ knew they needed something far more solid....and they were determined to get it.

The first thing Charles Rycroft saw when he returned to consciousness was that he was surrounded. There were several Interpol officers at the foot of his bed and an American agent on either side of him, their gun belts visible. "Charles Rycroft, you are under arrest for the murder of Jacob Riesling," Steve told him. (Hopefully, by the time they were done, he really would be....) "Your step-daughters told us everything," Steve lied, "and now you're going to do the same!"

- - -

Oscar and Hansen had also been briefed on the twins' revelation, but they chose to play that card much closer to the vest – in fact, completely hidden - at least for now. "Mrs. Rycroft," Hansen began, "before we can determine where your daughters should be placed, we need to contact their father. Do you have any idea where we might locate him?"

Sylvia shook her head sadly. "I have not seen him in many months – since I left Germany for Scotland...and Charles."

"He never contacted you or his daughters after that? Are you certain?"

"Yes! My girls....they used to cry out for him at night. Sometimes, they still do. If I could bring him to them again, I would. I have tried, but even his parents have seen no signs of him."

"What are your plans regarding Charles?" Hansen asked. "Will you return to Scotland with him?" _Not that we'll be letting him leave the States..._Jack added, if only to himself.

"If he made this bomb....tried to harm Katerina and Katherine....of course, I could not be with him! How could I even look at his face? Even if you do not ask me to choose, I have already chosen. Katherine and Katerina....they are my heart!"

Oscar, seated at his desk with his leg elevated, interjected. "If the girls are returned to you, where would you be planning to live?"

"I'd like to stay here, in America," she answered slowly. "When I became eighteen, before returning to Germany, I was given citizenship here. I've spent more of my life here than anywhere else....and I think my girls will be safest here."

Oscar and Jack nodded to each other. Both were certain that Sylvia had told them the truth.

- - -

The twins wandered through the rest of the day like two tiny ghosts – haunted by their very private memories of the past and their terror of the future. Jaime knew that trying to jolly them into a better mood was inappropriate. The girls were finally allowing themselves to acknowledge that their father was gone. While they were far too young to understand death – much less murder – they needed to know that what they felt was normal...and okay.

Jaime gathered them close to her as she tucked them into bed. "You know, it's alright to feel sad when we lose somebody we love. But you _will_ feel better again one day – I promise you that. Your Mommy loves you very, very much....and so do I." She could feel the girls' bodies relax as, gradually, the stress drained out of them and they drifted off to sleep.

She was just about to put on her own nightgown and make herself a cup of tea when she heard Steve coming down the hall. This time, he was alone. Jaime didn't wait for the knock, throwing the door open eagerly, hoping he might have good news. Her heart fluttered....he was wearing a grin that spread across his entire face and he carried a bottle of champagne.

"We got him, Sweetheart!" he said jubilantly. "Rycroft confessed – he told us everything!"

- - - - -


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

After making sure the popping cork had not awakened the girls, Jaime closed the bedroom door and returned to Steve, sharing a joy-filled toast and then a kiss. She settled back into the crook of his arm and sipped her champagne. "So....what'd the monster say?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"Russ and I agreed to make him believe we'd gotten all the details from the twins – and before he was even all the way awake, he sang like a canary."

"He killed Jacob."

"Yeah. He wanted to surprise Sylvia and bring the girls to their new home a day early, but of course, Jacob wouldn't let him take them," Steve explained. "He claims he didn't know the girls were in the room until much later, when they started waking up with nightmares and started – as he put it – looking at him like they _knew._"

"And now that they're a little older," Jaime concluded, "he was afraid they might tell someone what they saw."

"Exactly."

"But why bring them all the way to the States to....to kill them?"

"His political position back home had gotten very shaky. Chances were good that he'd be replaced after this conference, so he figured if the meeting was disrupted he could hold onto his power a little longer – and maybe even salvage it."

Jaime shook her head sadly. "So he brought the girls here, took them to the OSI Headquarters, went up to the third floor and sent them down to the basement...then set the bomb. _And_ the fire."

"No – just the bomb, to start with. He left the building and waited....but nothing happened. Apparently, the timer was faulty. So he went back up and started a little fire to hurry things along..."

"And just didn't make it out on time," Jaime deduced.

"Right." Steve gave Jaime a tender squeeze. "We got everything we needed – got it on _tape_ – with Interpol right there to witness. It's pretty clear now that Sylvia is completely innocent."

"I'm glad," Jaime sighed, holding out her glass for more champagne. She raised her newly-filled glass to Steve's. "To my hero," she toasted.

Steve looked deeply into Jaime's eyes. "I was only doing my job," he said softly. "We _all_ know who the real hero – I mean _heroine_ – is."

- - -

Jaime was determined to be strong for the sake of the children. This was a positive, happy day for them, and she would not let them see her cry – not even tears of joy. After a week of meetings with Interpol, the OSI psychologist and child development specialists, Sylvia was about to meet Jaime at OSI Headquarters....to take custody of her daughters. Jaime wanted Katie and Kathy to remember her smiling....the tears could come later.

The girls and Jaime waited in Oscar's office, their belongings in two brand-new suitcases stashed neatly behind Callahan's desk. Jaime held them both in her lap, whispering soft words of encouragement, hope...and love. She heard the elevator's arrival, and knew it was time. "Your Mommy's here!" she told them.

"Yay!" Both girls flew into their mother's embrace and Steve stepped over to stand with Jaime, an arm around her waist in loving support.

"My babies....we're going home!" Sylvia cried. "A new home, just the three of us – I can't wait for you to see it!" She looked up and led the girls to where Jaime stood watching. "I can never thank you enough for giving them back to me..."

"They've been a joy," Jaime assured her.

"You....will come to visit?"

Jaime smiled. "I promise." She kissed each girl on the cheek, hugged Sylvia...and the little family was gone. Jaime turned to Steve – and surprisingly, her face was tear-free and shining with happiness. She gazed at Steve and her eyes grew dreamy. "Someday....I hope...."

Steve brushed a gentle hand through Jaime's hair, knowing exactly what she was thinking about. "Sweetheart, you'll be a wonderful mother; I guarantee it."

END OF EPISODE SIX


End file.
